A satanic group came forward to unveil their Satan statue designs for the 7-foot-tall monument it wants to erect at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The New York-based Satanic Temple forwarded its formal application to the officials that oversee the Capitol grounds, including a design sketch that depicts Satan as a goat-head figure with wings, horns and a long beard, also known as Baphomet. The image is often used as one of the symbols of the occult. In the design, Satan is sitting in a throne adorned with a pentagram with two smiling children standing next to his figure.
"The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond," Lucien Greaves, a spokesman for the Satanic temple shared in an official statement. "The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation."
The Satanic group previously said that the authorization of the privately funded Ten Commandments monument to be erected at the Capitol by the Oklahoma Legislature gave them the push they needed to forward the application for the Satan statue.
In 2012, the Ten Commandments monument was erected atop the north stairs of the building. Shortly following its placement, the Oklahoma branch of the American Civil Liberties Union sued the group to have the statue removed.
Several private groups have made similar requests in the past to have monuments erected in the Capitol, including an animal rights group, a Hindu leader based in Nevada and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
As a response to the application, Trait Thompson, chairman of the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission, recently declared a moratorium on the consideration of new requests.
"Anybody can still make their request, but we'll hold off on considering them until the lawsuit is adjudicated," the chairman said regarding the requests for monuments.
The Satanic Temple's requests has caused an uproar among elected leaders in conservative Oklahoma, also known as the buckle of the Bible belt, who insist that this proposal would never be given permission by the commission.
"I think you've got to remember where you are. This is Oklahoma, the middle of the heartland," responded Rep. Don Armes on the Satanist group's push. "I think we need to be tolerant of people who think different than us, but this is Oklahoma, and that's not going to fly here."
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